From Intuit to Amazon and more, San Diego is home to numerous companies that come here to tap into the region’s impressive talent pool. However, Qualcomm aside, San Diego is not often thought of as a headquarter town.
Teradata, a data analytics company, might be changing that. This week, the company announced that it would be relocating its headquarters to San Diego from Dayton, Ohio. While Teradata has had a presence in San Diego for some time, 18 months ago it began to make a strategic shift from being a data warehouse company to a data analytics platform. And where do you find large volumes of software engineers, statisticians, and others to create the world’s premier data analytics platform? That’s right, San Diego.
As part of its shift to San Diego, Teradata will continue its aggressive hiring spree at its Rancho Bernardo campus, which currently holds more than 1,000 employees.
Thank you to those who joined us at EDC’s 52nd Annual Dinner, underwritten by Point Loma Nazarene University. This event continues to remind us how lucky we are to call San Diego home – we are a region that lifts each other up and celebrates all the life-changing people and innovation around us.
We were honored to celebrate Dr. Mary Walshok with the Herb Klein Civic Leadership Award presented by Alexandria Real Estate, and Sempra Energy with the Duane Roth Renaissance Award presented by Carrier Johnson + CULTURE. And, we welcomed EDC’s new board chair, Janice Brown, founder of Brown Law Group.
Janice laid out a big vision for EDC and San Diego. And many of you have asked us how you can help make this a reality. Here are two quick things you can do that will make a big difference to us:
Sign up for the San Diego: Life. Changing. recruitment toolkit. In it, you will find free resources to help us all project one, cohesive image of San Diego to the world and the talent that should be here.
Nominate a small business for the Inner City Capital Connections program. The program is coming to San Diego this fall and is completely free thanks to Kaiser Permanente. Learn more about this truly life-changing program and please send us a note if you have any suggestions.
Like Janice eloquently said, we must continue to embrace change to fuel progress in our region and beyond. Thanks for pushing and helping us to do this work.
Download pictures from the event here. We’ll be adding more as we receive them so check back soon.
This week at EDC’s 52nd Annual Dinner, we were honored to officially welcome Janice Brown as EDC’s new board chair. After two years of leadership, Jim Zortman, retired Northrop Grumman executive and EDC chair since 2016, symbolically ‘passed the gavel’ to Janice.
Having served as an EDC board member for eight years, Janice has helped guide the organization’s priorities and is well-equipped to lead EDC’s inclusive growth and #SDlifechanging efforts, among other initiatives. And she’ll do so with more energy and class than we could hope for.
Janice is the founding partner of Brown Law Group, a leading Southern California litigation law firm specializing in all aspects of employment and business litigation. She is known for her professional distinctions as well as her commitment to the community with over 30 years as a trial lawyer with significant trial, arbitration, and appellate experience. Janice received her undergraduate degree in Journalism and graduated with honors from the University of Montana in 1981. She graduated from Gonzaga Law School in two years, and joined the Justice Department’s Honors Program in 1984. At the Department of Justice, she tried lawsuits on behalf of the United States. Her distinguished career includes receiving the Department of Justice “Outstanding Trial Attorney” Award in 1987. Ms. Brown is rated AV®-PreeminentTM by Martindale and has been recognized as a Super Lawyer since 2007.
Brown Law Group’s representative clients include: UPS; Allstate Insurance; CenturyLink; Chelsea Investment Corp.; Coca-Cola; Jerome’s Furniture Warehouse; Liberty Mutual Insurance Company; McDonald’s; Toyota; U.S.D.A. Forest Service; Wells Fargo Bank and Xerox Business Services.
Due to regularly occurring seasonal effects, San Diego, and the overwhelming majority of the most populous metros, experienced a decline in employment during Q1 2018 (January – March). Leaving the holiday season behind, the region’s total nonfarm employment declined 7,300, or 0.5 percent. Compared to a year ago, nonfarm employment was up 27,000, or 1.9 percent.
Meanwhile, San Diego’s unemployment rate was 3.2 percent in Q1, the lowest the region has seen in the last 17 years and down from 3.3 percent in Q4 2017.
More key findings from the Q1 Economic Snapshot:
San Diego closed Q1 with an unemployment rate of 3.2 percent and the third lowest among the 25 most populous metros, up four spots from the previous quarter.
Following an addition of 9,500 jobs in Q4 2017, the trade, transportation, and utilities supersector decreased by 11,200 jobs in Q1, the largest quarterly loss. The majority of these jobs were lost within the retail trade sector as seasonal employees transitioned out.
Year-over-year, the San Diego region’s median home price continued to climb, growing by 8.2 percent.
VC dollars in the region increased 60 percent compared to a year ago.
The Quarterly Economic Snapshot analyzes key economic indicators that are important to understanding the regional economy and the region’s standing relative to the 25 most populous metropolitan areas in the U.S. This releases includes data from January to March (Q1) 2018.
Many of your inboxes have likely been bombarded this week with notifications of privacy policy updates from organizations of every kind. That’s because today is the day that a two year transition period ends and enforcement for the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) begins. This new regulation changes the ways in which companies can collect, protect, and use personal data, while bolstering consumer/user rights to their data.
Two years ago, the European Union adopted the GDPR, a regulation that harmonizes data protection and privacy laws for all EU individuals. We say EU individuals because the GDPR applies not just to EU citizens but also residents, workers, and even foreigners whose data is collected while on EU soil. Companies were given a two-year transition period to decide upon and execute a compliance strategy.
Some of the key issues addressed in the GDPR are:
Enhanced rights of data subjects
Digital consent
Right to erasure
Right of access/data portability
Responsibilities of the data controller/processor
Data Protection Officer (DPO) requirements
Handling of data breaches
Penalties for non-compliance
The GDPR is a complex legal framework that has been shrouded in controversy from the start. Some have argued that small businesses will be disproportionately harmed by the cost of compliance despite the initial target of the legislation being data giants, such as Facebook and Googl e. Not that compliance has been a breeze for those two companies either. As the EU’s judiciaries build precedence around this topic, the important thing for companies to do at this moment, is to ensure that their privacy policies and marketing efforts comply with the updated regulations.
You can check out our updated (and GDPR-compliant) privacy policy here.
The first cohort of biomanufacturing students at MiraCosta College is half way through their two-year bachelor’s degree program. That’s right – Oceanside-based MiraCosta Community College is one of only 15 community colleges in California to offer a bachelor’s degree program (114 total community colleges in CA). MiraCosta’s existing biotech associates degree program, which is the oldest in the county, helped the school gain prowess as a leading community college focused on life sciences. Building on that success, this new bachelor’s program will prepare students for work within San Diego’s lucrative biotechnology industry. The pioneer behind the program is Mike Fino: a UC San Diego Jacobs School alum, former industry researcher in regenerative medicine, and current Dean of Math & Sciences at MiraCosta.
With a background in industry, Mike Fino made the ideal moderator for EDC’s Link to San Diego: Life Sciences event at MiraCosta College in May. Formatted as a panel discussion followed by a networking session, Link to San Diego: Life Sciences welcomed representatives from Human Longevity Inc., Genentech, and BD to campus to speak about industry trends and lend advice to students on how they can prepare for a career in the San Diego industry. While open to all students, the program was primarily designed for MiraCosta’s biomanufacturing students to begin making industry connections and thinking about next steps as they work through their program.
The group of students who attended came prepared with resumes and thoughtful questions for the speakers. MiraCosta’s biomanufacturing BA program is a prime example of how San Diego’s community college system prepares its students based on the needs of our local economy, providing opportunities and value for residents and employers alike. Now, it’s our job to keep this bright and eager talent pool in San Diego.
Each month the California Employment Development Department ( EDD) releases industry data for the prior month. This edition of San Diego’s Economic Pulse covers April data, including unemployment, new business establishments, and job postings.
Highlights include:
The region’s unemployment rate was 2.9 percent in April, down 0.3 percentage points from March’s revised rate of 3.2 percent, and 1.0 percentage point lower than a year ago.
Every jurisdiction saw a decrease in the unemployment rate from the month prior.
The labor force contracted slightly, shedding 5,900 workers during the month; the seventh decline of the past 12 months. The labor force is now down 1,800 compared to a year ago.
Total nonfarm employment increased by 14,100, or 1.0 percent, in April. Compared to year ago, total nonfarm employment is now up 32,100, or 2.2 percent
In San Diego, leaders in genomics and connected health are making life-changing breakthroughs every day: unlocking the power of the human genome, turning personalized medicine into reality, and enhancing the way we live on a massive scale. Much of this is due to San Diego’s impeccable local workforce, skilled in bioinformatics, data science, computational biology, and other life sciences fields.
To stay on this trajectory, San Diego companies conduct an ongoing search for the best and brightest, skilled in translating data into actionable results for healthcare and medicine. During this year’s San Diego Life Sciences Trek program in August, some of the biggest players in our life sciences industry are once again opening their doors to PhD students with the expertise and mission-driven attitude to get the job done. Through company tours, presentations, and a networking reception, students will gain access to influential researchers and executives across many of San Diego’s fast-growing companies including Thermo Fisher, ResMed, Dexcom, Human Longevity, Takeda Pharmaceuticals and JLABS. The program is open to PhD candidates interested in exploring careers in bioinformatics, data science, computational biology, genomics, and more. From drug discovery to connected devices, genetic sequencing to direct patient care, it’s clear that San Diego’s vibrant life sciences ecosystem provides an abundant breadth of opportunities.
Over two sunny days in November 2017, 30 Masters and PhD candidates toured San Diego for the Life Sciences Trek in its pilot year. This group represented 10 schools from across the country, all working towards advanced degrees in bioinformatics, bioengineering, genetics, molecular biology or similar disciplines. One participant has already made the move to San Diego after accepting a bioinformatics software engineer position at Illumina, one of the participating companies last year. Other participants from the 2017 Life Sciences Trek reflected on their experience as well:
“This is a fantastic opportunity and unique experience to get an inside look into companies and a career in Life sciences and specifically Bioinformatics. It was perfect timing for me in my last year of a Ph.D. program.”
“[The Life Sciences Trek] gives you an inside look at companies in the area beyond just reading their website. I now have firsthand connections to recruiters and other biotech professionals in the area that I will maintain over the coming years.”
“San Diego is at the top of my list for post-graduation job hunting, primarily because of my experience at the EDC Life Sciences Trek.”
Registration is now open for the 2018 San Diego Life Sciences Trek — don’t miss out on this exclusive opportunity to explore one of the top life sciences markets in the country. Join us in San Diego August 16-17 to see the life-changing work happening here for yourself. And who knows, you might just find your dream job.
To learn more or register, visit the official Eventbrite page or contact Kate Gallagher – ksg@sandiegobusiness.org.
A San Diego genomics giant is acquiring a San Diego genomics startup. Does it get any better than this?
Recent #SDinUK delegate company and biotech startup Edico Genome has been acquired by local genomics giant Illumina in a deal worth $100 million.
Edico Genome’s DRAGEN Bio-IT technology uses field programmable gate array chips in conjunction with proprietary software algorithms for rapid analysis of genetic data produced by DNA-sequencing machines. It means the time it takes to sequence your genome is drastically expedited.
“Our acquisition of Edico Genome is a big step toward realizing the vision of reducing sequencing data acquisition and analysis to a push-button, standardized process,” said Susan Tousi, SVP of product development at Illumina.
The San Diego roots in this deal run strong. Like many great San Diego startups, Edico Genome was a graduate of local incubator EvoNexus. It has also received funding from Qualcomm Ventures. President and CEO Pieter Van Rooyen was also a co-founder of EvoNexus alum EcoATM prior to working with Edico Genome.
Earlier this year, on the heels of EDC’s 2017 U.K. trade mission, Edico Genome and Genomics England announced a partnership to strengthen the accuracy and consistency of next-generation sequencing (NGS) data analysis in Genomics England’s Rare Disease Pilot.
This month, it was announced that California had the 5th largest economy in the world, behind the total GDP of the United States, China, Japan, and Germany. Much of this growth is concentrated in the coastal metros which, of course, include San Diego. In an increasingly integrated economy, strategic global economic engagements are crucial to San Diego’s sustained economic competitiveness. By leveraging international exports and foreign direct investment (FDI), San Diego continues to create jobs, increase competitiveness, and boost the region’s global identity.
San Diego, with the help of its local leadership, has become an increasingly global city – one that engages with other metropolitan regions with similar interests and industries. These connections have led to an increase in trade missions, research and innovation partnerships, collaborations, venture funding, and other opportunities for local companies. This year, San Diego welcomed Lufthansa airlines as a direct flight carrier linking San Diego and Frankfurt. Lufthansa joins the ranks of Edelweiss, British Airways, and Japan Airlines in offering overseas nonstop service. These direct flights go a long way in easing both business and tourism travel which foster increased business flow and connect people around the world with San Diego’s world-class tourist sites, such as the San Diego Zoo. These direct flights and increased global connectivity have also done much to help San Diego’s budding companies do business both at home and overseas.
In just the past three years, 45 companies have graduated from MetroConnect, an export assistance program led by WTC San Diego. As we close out our most recent cohort, program participants have collectively generated $10.5 million in new export sales, signed more than 70 new contracts, added 50 new jobs to the region, set up nine new overseas facilities and seen three successful company exits.
While the latest national rhetoric seems to suggest that trade is an evil word and something to be feared, San Diego traces some of its greatest successes to trade. Companies such as Viasat, Qualcomm, Cubic, and Illumina have all translated local innovation into global solutions – solutions that have catapulted San Diego onto the global stage and helped highlight the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit that helps this region the life-changing place it is.
This week, WTC San Diego is proud to commemorate World Trade Week and highlight the ways in which San Diego is going global. We couldn’t be more proud of our companies, our people, and our innovations. Follow along in our week-long celebration at #WorldTradeWeek, and tell us what #GlobalSD means to you.
The World Trade Week concept was started in 1926 and first observed in 1927 in Southern California. World trade significantly contributes to the nation’s economy and has developed a vast new horizon for America’s businesses. To learn more about the history behind World Trade Week, visit: foreigntradeassociation.com/worldtradeweek.
This week at EDC’s 52nd Annual Dinner, we were honored to officially welcome Janice Brown as EDC’s new board chair. After two years of leadership, Jim Zortman, retired Northrop Grumman executive and EDC chair since 2016, symbolically ‘passed the gavel’ to Janice.
